“In January we had approximately 45 travellers arriving per day. Half of them are Swedish, and the rest are Norwegian and Danish with a few Finnish and Dutch as well,” tells Henrik Aho, Kilroy Travels, who has just completed his term as the travel agency’s first “Ambassador” to Thailand.
“Our typical traveller is between 19 and 25 years old, and for many of our travellers Bangkok is just the first destination on a travel around the world”, adds Henrik Aho.
The decision to enhance the presence of Kilroy Travels in Thailand was taken last year, and in December, Henrik Aho was the first to take up the position. The job is to help the agency’s young target group to feel safer and advise on all practical matters.
“We tell them about Thailand and Bangkok, the different districts, how to move around, and what they ought to be aware of”, says the 31 year old Henrik Aho who before moving to Bangkok worked for Kilroy Travels in Gothenburg for several years – and that is also where he will also go back in a few days.
Kicked out?? No, this is how Kilroy has set up the Ambassador job. All Kilroy Travels’ employees can apply for a three month-stay as an ambassador at a number of destinations. When they go back, their duties are taken over by the next one. Besides Bangkok, Kilroy Travels also has an ambassador in Sydney, and from the coming summer there will be one in New York as well.
In Henrik Aho’s place, Rikke Jensen – 36 years old and from Denmark – has just arrived to take over as the new Kilroy ambassador. Both have extensive experience from a lot of travelling and as travel sellers in Kilroy Travels.
“It is my impression people choose to travel to Thailand because of the cheap prices, the culture, the nature and mouth-to-mouth recommendations from earlier travellers”, Henrik Aho continues, who thinks the culture has made the biggest impression on him: “The temples, the monks, the royal family, and the tuk tuks just to mention a few things”.
For Rikke Jensen the Thai people themselves are the biggest experience: “I have travelled a lot, but I have never before seen so open, friendly, easy-going and nice-hearted people. And then I am happily surprised of how easy it is to travel around without Thailand being a mainstream, Westernised culture.”
The Kilroy Travels ambassadors don’t sell tickets to further journeys. For this they refer to Educational Travel Center, which Kilroy Travels cooperate with. Kilroy’s ambassadors normally have their duty at Khao San Road and the nearby Royal Hotel – both places together with or close to Educational Travel Center.
